Heroes Die
by Live Fast Die Never
Summary: [Maybe not the type of hero that Harry had become himself, but a hero. He saved Ginny, and for that he would always be a hero.] Mostly GD, but some HG. WARNING: Character Death


**This is another Challenge from _The Final Prophecy_. The Guidelines are:**

_How good are you about writing a romance/tragedy story? The prompt for this contest is this: write a story about three characters, with two falling in love with one of them. At least one character must die (you choose the method of death)._

**I hope you like it!  
R&R **

Live Fast, Die Never

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I watched her. She was all I needed to watch, everything else was unimportant. To get through the day I needed two things; Ginny Weasley and a good smoke. Unfortunately I could only truly ever have one of those things.

She was with Potter, that scumbag. He didn't appreciate her like I did. He didn't treat her like a queen, I did. He didn't stop to see if she was okay, I did. He didn't have a nice conversation with her everyday, I did. He wasn't meant for her, I was! And yet, she was marrying Potter in only a few months.

There she was sitting so calmly reading a book; it was some muggle book, so I didn't really care what it was. But I cared that she was there… sitting, reading. I sighed remembering the time I'd first came here.

"_Mr. Malfoy," Lupin said his eyes scanning over me. "I must say I'm surprised to see you here. I heard Minerva was going to be sending a refugee over at some point, but this is a bit of a surprise."_

_I managed a quick smile that showed my disinterest for what he said. "Well, I'm here."_

_He nodded and then walked into the kitchen. A moment later a heard a shrill shriek, somewhat resembling that of a banshee, calling for Ginny. And only moments later from that the short red haired girl rushed down the stairs wearing old, worn jeans and a wool jumper with a large G on it. She rushed straight past me and into the kitchen where I heard her asking; "What is it mom?"_

_In reply she got; "Ginny, dear, we have a guest and"-_

"_We don't get guest here mom." She answered calmly not in the least fazed by the fact that she had just interrupted her mother._

_I could almost see the steam coming out of her mothers ears from the front door. I then heard Lupin saying; "Ginny, Mr. Malfoy has come to stay with us."_

"_Malfoy?!" She cried out, I was surprised she hadn't shrieked like her mother. "He's evil!"_

_I had to say that I was a little hurt by that comment, I wasn't evil. Standing here in this disgusting place that could have, once upon a time, been called a house was enough to prove that. But yet, Little Miss Weasley had the nerve to call me evil. The whole thing was very unkind and lacking manners, greatly lacking manners. Although, I suppose that's what happens when you're raised in a barn. Hum, I should save that one for later._

"_Just go out there and help him to his room! And I don't want to hear another word from you until he is in his room and comfortable." She hissed at her daughter and then seemed to have shoved her out of the kitchen has she came sliding out in front of me. _

"_Hello Weasley." I greeted her with a smirk. _

_She merely glared at me and said, "Follow me and you'll get to your room, if you don't follow me you won't get to your room." She began up the stairs expecting me to trail after her, but sadly, she was greatly mistaken._

"_I can't carry my bags on my own." I told her smugly, I had yet to move and she seemed to notice this._

"_You only have to bags." She told me with annoyance in her voice._

_I smirked at her. "That's two bags, too many."_

"_You are such a prick!" She yelled at me. This, of course, did not assist her as her foul language had gotten her mother to leave the kitchen and glare at her daughter._

"_GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" Mrs. Weasley screeched once again resembling a banshee. Once Ginny had gotten down the stairs Mrs. Weasley continued. "I do not want to hear anymore out of you! Show Mr. Malfoy to his room and I do not, DO NOT want to hear anymore of the foul language from your mouth ever again. Do you understand!?" _

_Ginny nodded and grabbed one of my bags and hissed at me. "You can care one bag."_

_I smiled politely at her, putting on a show for Mrs. Weasley. "Of course I can. Why, I would have carried both if you hadn't been so kind as to carry one yourself."_

_She glared venomously, but kept her mouth shut due to her mother's presence. "Come on." She muttered and trudge on upstairs._

It was quite a first meeting. I have to admit, it was quite enjoyable on my part. She was so easy to upset. And I found her so interesting when she was angry, that might have been why I'd gotten her angry so often.

I stared at her again smiling as she wrinkled her nose at something she read. She could do the simplest things and not realize how much they drove me crazy. I placed the cigarette in my mouth and inhaled. I exhaled as I remembered the time that she had discovered my nasty little habit.

"_What is that?" I heard carefully chosen words from behind me. I turned and blinked at the easily angered red-head._

"_What are you on about Weasley?" I questioned, now wasn't the time. I didn't want to hear anything from Weasley, I just wanted to relax my nerves with a good smoke._

_She glared at me and answered; "That cancer giving stick of doom in your hand!"_

_Great, Weasley was a anti-smoking freak. Just what I needed._

"_Go away." I told her rolling my eyes and heading to the door._

"_No!" She hissed at me. "You are going to listen to what I have to say!"_

"_No I'm not." I answered giving her a look that should have told her to bugger off, but instead she felt the need to continue._

"_That is going to give you cancer! It is a serious illness, even wizards don't have a totally efficient cure! You are being suicidal." She screeched at me. "Just because you feel a little stressed out is no reason to go off and kill yourself."_

"_I didn't know you cared." I told her calmly and then added. "Now, if you don't mind I'm going to go out and kill myself."_

"_No! Because not only are you killing yourself you are killing everyone around you!" She said stepping in front of the door, keeping me from leaving. "Ever heard of second hand smoke? Well, it's just as bad! And those of us who make the right choice and don't smoke are still getting cancer because of idiotic blokes like you!" She stomped her foot at this, her face turning red from anger. I had to admit, I was amused._

_I hadn't even done anything and yet here Weasley was furious at me. I was ready to pat myself on the back for a job well done._

"_You are a murderer!" She screeched._

_That was when she went too far. Murderer... that was a touchy subject with me and she had just started poking it. I immediately filled with rage. I grabbed her wrists and slammed her against the closed door. She was frightened, I could sense it._

"_Never." I hissed at her anger seething through me. "Never call me a murderer."_

"_Let go of me." She commanded, I did so then shoved her aside and walked out the door. I desperately needed a good smoke._

I sighed and dropped the nearly finished cigarette and stomped on it. After that she and I hadn't really talked. Not for a long while. I remember thinking that something was missing from my life. For the longest time I pretended that it was just school or my little group of Slytherins, but deep down I knew it was her.

She'd been a big part of my life. Of course, that part of my life had been bickering and arguing over simple things. I had enjoyed it and I know that she had too. But that one time, it went too far.

Murderer, that's what she'd called me. The word has haunted me ever since my sixth year. I didn't know why, not for a long time… but eventually I figured it out. It was because I was one. I may not have said the words to kill Dumbledore, but I made them happen. I had killed him, and I am so sorry… but there are somethings you can never erase. That was a choice I made when I was young that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

She made it easier though, I suppose. For those months I truly realized how much less alone she'd made me feel, and the loneliness had driven me crazy. I walked into the house and leaned against the doorframe into the living room where Ginny sat reading her book. He smiled slightly remembering when they'd finally moved past all of the anger.

_She was sitting there, staring into the fire. I watched her, what would I say? I wanted to apologize, for the first time I genuinely did! But… seeing as I didn't really have much experience in this matter, I didn't know what to say._

_Luckily, she seemed to be able to start our conversation. "I'd been wondering when this would happen." She told me bluntly, her eyes unmoving from the fire. "I knew it was going to happen… but I just… why did it happen?" she asked and turned to me. She had tracks of tears running down her face._

_I blinked, perhaps she didn't know how to start. What had happened? "I don't… what happened Weasley?" I asked, this was also new to me. She was crying… it was awkward._

_She wiped her tears away on her jumper and said. "I knew that one of them was going to… but…" She burst into a new set of tears. I cautiously sat down next to her on the dark brown loveseat._

"_I don't understand." I told her trying to keep calm when it was truly killing me to see her like this. I just… I wasn't used to it. "Calm down, tell me what's wrong."_

_She took a few deep breaths before saying. "He's dead." She bit her lip, trying to hold back more tears and added. "They killed Charlie."_

_I stopped. Everything suddenly became a blur. They killed Charlie… Charlie Weasley, it was her older brother, one of them anyways. Charlie… I'd never met him and yet the thought of a man being dead, it seemed to hit my heart. I watched as Ginny burst into more tears, trying to cry away her pain. I then did what I'd never thought I would. I held her in my arms keeping her close. I whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry… for everything."_

After that our friendship took off, not too long after that I realized that I loved her. I stepped into the living room and sat down next to her. She looked up from her book and grinned at me.

"Hello Mr. Malfoy." She greeted me.

I smirked at her. "And Hello to you Ms. Weasley or should I start calling you Mrs. Potter?"

She laughed at my small joke and said; "No, Ms. Weasley will do for now."

"I thought so." I told her and lifted her book up. "Charles Dickens?"

She nodded and sighed. "I love his books. Muggle stories are always so interesting. They have such huge imaginations, their minds have no boundaries like I've found many wizard novels too." She sighed. "Have you ever read _The Lord of the Rings_?"

I shook my head.

"How about any book from _The Narnia Series_?"

I once again shook my head, but this time said; "Gin, I don't read muggle novels, let alone Fantasy."

She let out a tiny laugh. "No… I suppose you wouldn't, it's not in your personality."

I nodded in agreement to her statement. "So, how is old' Scarface?"

"I don't know about any old' Scarface, but _Harry_ is doing perfectly fine." She answered with a small smile that was meant to annoy him.

I sighed. "You know exactly what I meant."

"Oh come on! You've got to give up this grudge at some point Draco!" She told me with a grin. "I've been talking to Harry and he's getting there! The least you could do is try to do the same."

_Potter isn't the one who will be watching his enemy marry the girl of his dreams._ I thought and grimaced at Ginny before answering. "I don't think so. No matter what Potter does I won't go off and be all lovey-dovey."

"You don't have to be lovey-dovey, you just have to be nice." She answered me.

"Yeah, I won't do that either." I answered and crossed my arms over my chest. "And you can't do anything about it."

"Fine!" She answered with a pout then said. "Well… did they tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"About the battle." She said and then continued after seeing my blank expression. "It's happening, soon."

"How soon?" I asked.

She shrugged "Just soon. Hopefully we'll win and Voldemort will be gone. For good this time."

"Hopefully." I muttered then smiled at Ginny and said. "I'm going to go and rest a bit." I kissed her forehead and walked off into the house.

I didn't know if I was ready. The battle? No, I wasn't ready for it. Would I fight it though? … I glanced back at Ginny. Yes, I would fight it.

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I stood on the battle field, it was filled with blood. The battle had barely began and already soldiers were falling. Members of the order, Aurors, and death eaters were scattered on the ground. It was the battle, I decided. Both sides were using all they had fighting with everything. I had already taken down a large number of death eaters. I was already wounded, harmed in many ways, some that may never be properly healed.

"HARRY!" I heard Granger cry. I turned to see him locked in battle with Voldemort. The Dark Lord was undamaged by any of Potter's weak attacks. I could tell that Voldemort was winning. Then something happened that I never imagined would. Voldemort cast crucio, it spread out and hit a large number of people, I was one of them.

As I tried to fight the pain, I began to question why he would do this, it only weakened him. It didn't matter though, right now I was stuck in the crucio. It was a weaker one then he would normally have, but it was strong enough to be painful. I couldn't stand. I struggled to get on my hands and knees. I strained my neck to see the battle between Potter and Voldemort, but nothing was happening. They weren't fighting.

Harry was staring at the dark lord wide eyed as Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at me. I didn't understand, me? What was he doing and why did Potter care? That's when I realized what was truly happening. Ginny. She was next to me, Voldemort was threatening Ginny.

I turned my head to see her, she was struggling to escape the crutacious curse, not unlike him. As I watched her I could sense Voldemort's words. They were coming out of his mouth, The curse would be coming at her any moment now. I then did what I never thought I could, I used every morsel of strength in me and reached out to grab her arm. I then apparated away taking her with me.

Next thing I knew we were in Grimwald's place, in the living room. I stared up at the roof unable to move… I was finding it hard to breath as well.

She crawled over to me. "Draco?"

I stared p at her and smiled. "Gin…" I coughed and took a sharp breath. "I think the smoking has finally caught up with me."

I saw tears in her eyes as she let out a reluctant laugh at my weak joke. "Why did you do that?"

I felt my life slipping away and I grasped her hand tightly. "I love you Gin."

Tears fell from her eyes as she watched me. "I love you too… I love you!" She leaned down and wrapped her arms around me. "Don't go. Don't leave me."

I felt pain… I felt so much pain. "Gin…"

"Draco?" She clutched my hand tightly, more tears streaking her face. "Please… don't please…"

I couldn't answer all I could do was lie there dying watching her cry. I wanted to reach out and hold her in my arms… I wanted more than anything to tell her I was sorry. That I didn't mean to… I just couldn't let her die. As I thought this I felt all my feeling leave me… and soon darkness came in, it was so dark.

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Three months later Mr. and Mrs. Potter stood in front of a beautiful tombstone. It was the richest one there, and to both Mr. and Mrs. Potter it should be.

Harry Potter had never thought much of the man who laid six feet underneath that ground. They'd always hated each other, but in Harry's mind the man would be a hero. Maybe not the type of hero that Harry had become himself, but a hero. He saved Ginny, and for that he would always be a hero.

Ginny Potter had loved the man who now laid six feet under the ground, perhaps not in the way that he had loved her, but she had loved him. Staring at the grave all she could think was how he had been there for her in the toughest of situations, how he had always cared… and how he had saved her life.

She stepped forward, leaving her husbands side and said; "I love you Draco, and I'm so sorry I couldn't save you like you saved me." She took a deep breath. "I miss you."

**Draco Malfoy  
****June 5, 1980 – April 23, 2000  
****You Will Be Missed  
****Rest In Peace**


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